Back in the saddle...and face down on the trail...

I had a 15 mile trail run planned yesterday.  My marathon is about 2 1/2 weeks away, so I have to get in my long runs.  But after the prior day's disastrous bike ride I really felt the need to rekindle my love of riding.  So I decided to ride the 12 miles to the trail head, run the 15 miles, then ride home.  It would likely be almost a 5 hour workout.  It seemed like overdoing it, but I didn't want to skip or postpone the imperative long run in my marathon buildup, and at the same time I didn't want to wait too long to get in an enjoyable ride.  So I asked Karin if she thought it was too much.  She said, "Nah.  It can just be an easy ride.  Besides, that's what you do."

Turns out it was too much.

I actually managed my time badly (Who, me???) and got a late start, so I had to cut the run short to make sure I wasn't riding home in the dark.  It's a good thing I did.  I only ran 12 miles, and I was dragging around mile 8, which is about the time my toe caught a rock and I went flying and landed face down on the trail.  I was bruised and scraped up on my knees, arms and face, and covered in dirt from knees to nose!  I dusted myself off and finished the run and ride home, but today I am just exhausted and sore everywhere!  I assume the general all-over fatigue is from the workout itself, and the soreness is from the fall.

But I actually did have an incredibly enjoyable ride, even on the way home, when I was exhausted and sore.  Perhaps it was because my only goal was to get home, just like my only goal on the way there was to reach the trail.  And that's when I realized that, although I do love cycling, I don't have the heart of a cyclist.  What I have is the heart of a Bike Commuter.  I love to ride when the goal is just fun and fitness, and especially, to get somewhere.  To get to work, get to the trail, get to the gym, or just get to lunch.  In regular shoes.  On platform petals.  That is my kind of riding.

Unfortunately, I sense that is not the kind of riding that leads to a successful Ironman.  So I will actually have to do goal-oriented, speed-specific, challenging rides.  A lot of them.  But I will make a concentrated effort not to lose my bike commuter roots, and every once in a while, put on my running shoes, slide casual capris over my padded shorts, and ride the 15 miles to Sunday brunch.